Everyday
by megaeevee
Summary: Something's up with Weevil and Rex wants to find out what. Too bad he has no idea how. -Eventual Shrimpshipping-
1. Chapter 1

The wooden gate creaked as the boy opened it. Looking around disdainfully, he strode up the overgrown path toward the house. He rang the doorbell and waited on the doorstep, listening to the sounds of activity from within.

After a moment the door swung open, revealing a boy with purple bangs and brown hair swept up into a ponytail.

''Listen, whatever you're selling, we're not buy- oh, it's you,'' Rex said. He stepped aside to let Weevil in.

''What happened to _you_?'' Weevil sneered as he walked in. He was referring to the flour smeared all over Rex's face and on the apron he was wearing over his yellow shirt.

He snorted. ''Try having six younger siblings and see how clean _you_ are at the end of the day,'' Rex said as he led the way to the living room.

Everything about the place was old, apart from some of the people in it. Napping in a dated armchair was the oldest woman you had ever seen, with the oldest cat you had ever seen sitting in her lap. Her eyes, when open, were sharp as a raptor's.

In the middle of the floor was a play mat. A toddler was sitting on it playing with some toy dinosaurs. He looked up when Rex and Weevil entered, but looked down disinterestedly after a moment. From upstairs, the boys could hear the sounds of two or three sets of feet charging about, and several voices yelling.

They walked through the living room to the kitchen. It was small and messy, with a table in the centre and toys scattered about the floor. In one of the corners was a travel cot with a sleeping baby inside. On one of the counters were ingredients and a mixing bowl- what Rex had been doing before Weevil got there.

Weevil, well accustomed to Rex's house and the routine they had fallen into, went straight to the table and sat down, while Rex went back to the mixing bowl.

''Where's your mum?'', Weevil asked as he took his homework out of his bag.

''Working. Won't be back till later.'' Rex paused and turned around. ''You sleeping over tonight?''

Weevil nodded without looking up. He seemed focused on his homework but Rex thought he looked nervous.

''Alright,'' he said. ''But you better not kick me outta bed this time.'' Rex remembered a few nights ago when he'd ended up on the floor.

Weevil scowled. ''Just be thankful I don't make you sleep on the floor, dino- brain!''

''It's my house! If you want a bed to yourself, why don't you sleep in your own for once?'' Rex said.

Weevil was silent. He turned back to his homework, but wasn't even pretending to do it anymore. Rex, sensing that'd he'd struck a nerve but not knowing how, just turned back to the mixing bowl.

He had never asked before why Weevil always wanted to sleep over. At first he thought he just didn't want to listen to his sister and her new boyfriend going at it all night, but thinking about it, it didn't really make sense. Sure, their rooms were right next to each other, but Weevil could just move. It wasn't as if the place didn't have enough bedrooms for both of their families combined- and Rex had a _lot_ of siblings.

As he cracked eggs, he began to think of other reasons Weevil would want to sleep over all the time. His parents were always working abroad and all his sister seemed to care about at the moment was her boyfriend, so maybe he was lonely?

Rex paused for a moment, listening to the sounds of Weevil finally starting his homework behind him.

Could Weevil really be lonely? Somehow, Rex didn't think so. Weevil used to be alone all the time, usually by his own choice, because he said he didn't like people. Even now the only people he talked to on a regular basis were his sister and Rex's family.

He started spooning the mixture into cake cups. So then, what could be wrong?

Rex bit his lip. Despite everything, he _cared_ about Weevil and wanted to know if there was something wrong. He just couldn't think what it could be.

He thought about it in silence for a few more minutes but the sound of the front door opening and footsteps running towards the kitchen drove all those thoughts from his head. Rex knew who it would be before he even saw her.

''Rexy!'' A little girl appeared in the doorway and instantly ran over to Rex, hugging him around the middle.

''Hey Rose,'' Rex said. His sister stepped back, and smiled up at him. He leant against the counter and folded his arms. ''You're late. Rory told me you got held back after school. What happened?''

Her smile faded as she walked over to the table and dropped her bag next to a chair, before hopping on. Instead of answering her brother she leant over to see what Weevil was writing.

''Hi Weevil,'' she said, and then giggled. ''Why are you putting letters and numbers together like that? They don't go together- that's why they're separate subjects, silly!''

Weevil glanced over at her before looking down at his homework. ''This is algebra. You're _supposed_ to put them together, that's the whole point.'' He paused and looked at her school bag. ''Suppose you want help with your homework, since dino-dung over there's too stupid to do it.'' He looked up at Rex and smirked.

''Hey, I'm smart enough to help a six year old with her homework!'' Rex glared back, before turning around to put the cupcakes in the oven. When he turned back, Rose had her homework out and was scribbling down answers with her good hand as Weevil distractedly tried to explain division.

He watched them work for a moment before walking over to sit at the other side of the table.

''So, Rose, you were saying?'' Normally he wouldn't care all that much about her being held back, but it had been happening more frequently and he was worried that something was seriously wrong.

She sighed dejectedly before mumbling, ''my teacher got me in trouble for drooling on the desk again, even though it wasn't my fault!''

Rex frowned. He hated that school- that's why he never went. They were horrible at dealing with Rose's special needs.

When they were younger they used to live in a caravan. But Rex's dad- who has long since left- got in trouble with some loan sharks, and when he couldn't repay the money, they got angry. Finally, after months of having them come banging on the door demanding money, they got tired and realised they weren't going to get their money and set the caravan on fire as revenge. With Rose inside.

No one else was hurt, but Rose escaped with severe burns on her right side. One side of her mouth droops and she tends to drool because of it, and she lost two fingers on her right hand.

Now they live in a house provided by the government, but their mother still can't afford to send Rose to a school better suited for her needs.

Rex sighed. He'd tried explaining to the teachers, but they hadn't been very understanding. For now all he could do was try to cheer her up, and call her teacher later.

''Well, uh… why don't you do your homework later and we'll go watch Jurassic Park, okay?'' he said, putting aside his worries for a while.

Rose brightened up immediately and scrambled to stuff her work back into her bag, before running through to the living room. Rex stood up as well but stopped when he saw that Weevil wasn't following.

''You coming?'' he asked.

Weevil glanced up at him then at the living room door doubtfully. ''You've made me watch that movie a thousand times already, stupid. I practically know it off by heart.''

Rex grinned and leaned against the back of the chair. ''Come on,'' he whined. ''We always watch Jurassic Park when we're at my house.''

''That's my point,'' Weevil snapped irritably, but he was already tidying away his stuff, probably knowing that if he didn't, Rex would get all five of his little brothers on him.

Rex smirked victoriously and turned to go through to the living room, nothing worrying him except whether or not the movie would wake his grandmother.


	2. Chapter 2

**Every Night**

Rex lay squashed against the wall, trying very hard not to wake Weevil, who was sleeping pressed up against him in the tiny bed. He was trying to sleep but his thoughts kept straying back to earlier in the day when Weevil had come to his house after school, like he always did.

Rex frowned. Weevil _always _came to his house after school now, even if he didn't end up staying for the night- which he usually did. When Rex had asked him about it earlier, he had remained silent and Rex had decided not to push.

He did wonder though. His earlier thoughts on the subject were interrupted by his sister coming home from school late, but Rex had already come to the conclusion that Weevil was not lonely, or trying to avoid having to hear his sister and her boyfriend every night.

Weevil shifted away from Rex in his sleep, and he froze. He knew from first-hand experience that Weevil did _not_ like being woken up. Biting his lip, he waited with baited breath but, thankfully, Weevil was still sleeping. Very carefully, Rex turned over so he was facing him.

A smile slipped onto his face- Weevil looked so different when he was sleeping. He wasn't frowning or smirking or insulting him and Rex liked it that way.

The thought that something was bothering him enough that he was purposely avoiding his own house upset Rex far more than he would have expected. He sighed, thinking back over the time he had known Weevil.

They hadn't gotten along when they first met, and still didn't get on very well now, but Rex was pretty sure Weevil was the first real friend he'd ever had. He wanted to show that friendship now by finding out what was wrong and fixing it.

Unfortunately, he had no idea where to start. He knew that if he kept pushing Weevil would give in but that gave him a bad feeling. Because of all the bullying he faced, Weevil did not respond well to any kind of force. Sure, he'd give you what you wanted but he'd never trust you again.

Rex wasn't really sure what set him apart from the bullies in Weevil's eyes- he'd never exactly been the gentle sort, especially before they'd really gotten to know each other. Even earlier today had been unusually peaceful for them.

Maybe if he just left it things would somehow sort themselves out.

Weevil was looking at him. As soon as he noticed, Rex jerked back, hitting his head off the wall. Weevil just glared sleepily.

"What are you doing?" Rex whispered. He couldn't remember Weevil waking up.

"Why were you staring at me?" He whispered back. They were really too close in the bed but Rex had nowhere to go.

"I wasn't staring at you. I was just thinking about, uh… some stuff." _Smooth._

"You were staring at me!" Weevil was frowning again and Rex really wished he knew how to make him stop. "What 'stuff' were you thinking about?"

"Uh…" _Oh shit,_ he thought. _I can't tell him the truth. Or can I? _"I was thinking about what we talked about earlier. You know, about why you always come to my house after school."

Immediately, Weevil drew back, with a true glare on his face now. "That's none of your business." And then he turned over.

_Great going, Rex. Good job, really. _He sighed. He thought briefly about trying to make amends but he knew Weevil would need time to cool off. With a sigh, Rex turned back over and tried once again to go to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

When he woke up the next morning, Rex was alone in bed. He could hear plenty of noise from downstairs which meant that everyone else was awake. It was 7am. He sat up and looked about the messy room. It was small but he didn't have to share it with anyone else (except Weevil). You could always tell what stuff was Weevil's because he put everything away neatly whereas Rex just kind of dumped it wherever - hence the food wrappers and such laying around.

Swinging his legs out of bed, Rex ran a hand through his hair. The faded blue walls and dinosaur bedsheets made the room look like it belonged to someone much younger but if you looked closely you could tell that it was usually inhabited by two teenage boys.

As he picked his way across the room Rex wondered if Weevil would remember last night and still be mad. He really hoped not.

_Oh my God, _thought Rex as he stepped into the hall, _it kind of sounds like we had sex last night or something. _At that thought he went bright red and buried his face in his hands, too embarrassed by it to even process it properly. As a result, he didn't even think to knock on the bathroom door and just walked right in-

On Weevil with his shirt pulled up, inspecting a huge bruise on his side.

For a second, neither of them could move. For a split second, Rex could only stare at Weevil's chest.

Then Weevil was scrambling to pull his shirt down and Rex was taking two steps into the tiny bathroom to grab his wrists. He pulled them away from the other boy's side, where he was attempting to cover the bruise, so he could inspect the injury.

It covered the entire area from his hip to just below his ribs and, if the colour of it was any indication, it was clearly pretty old. Rex wondered why Weevil hadn't told him about this, or how he hadn't noticed it himself.

''Let go! Get _off!_" Weevil shouted as he tried to pull his wrists free. Rex frowned- Weevil was being unusually touchy about this.

"I just want to see it!" But Weevil wasn't having any of it and he continued to try and twist free.

Weevil wasn't a strong boy but neither was Rex, really, so they ended up in a wrestling match in the tiny bathroom. Rex was trying to be careful in case he hurt him more but Weevil had no problems kicking and elbowing where he could.

They wrestled for a few minutes, neither gaining the upper hand, until Rex's mother shouted up the stairs, telling them to be quiet and hurry up and get ready for school. Weevil took advantage of the lull in the fight to slip free.

Rex stared at Weevil from across the room but Weevil wouldn't look up to meet his eyes.

"What was that?"

"None of your business." Weevil brushed past Rex and started heading for the stairs. Rex stood in the doorway and wondered what he could do.

"That's what you said last night! You can't use that excuse every time. If someone's picking on you again, just tell me," Rex shouted after him.

"And you'll do what?" Weevil paused at the top of the stairs and sneered. "Your life is pathetic enough without adding my problems on too."

And with that, he stormed downstairs. If his family hadn't been downstairs, Rex would have chased after him and they would have fought some more. As it was, he had to make do with stomping to his room to get ready for school.

As he was getting ready, Rex tried to get a handle on his anger. It was hard though, because he had just been trying to help. Add that to the fact that his mother would have heard the yelling and Weevil was no doubt downstairs right now telling her whatever twisted version of events would make him look good. It was no wonder the guy didn't have many friends, really.

_Well, if there's one thing that fight told me, _thought Rex, _it's that this thing with Weevil is worse than I thought. Which means it's probably not going to go away on its own._

He didn't even know why he was so worried. Weevil got bullied every day at school- just because he had a worse bruise than normal, didn't mean it was anything serious.

But bullies at school didn't cause him to stop going home or get abnormally defensive about bruises. Rex sighed and banged his head against the wall. Since they first became friends, there had never been a time when Weevil refused to tell him he was being picked on.


	4. Chapter 4

The walk to school was tense since they weren't talking to each other. To be honest, Rex was relieved. Weevil was acting like he always did after they'd had an argument, even though their fight that morning was different than usual. Less petty.

Rex's siblings had already left by the time he got down for breakfast, so they were alone. It was pretty unusual for Rex to even be going to school, especially after his mom got another job, but he wanted to keep an eye on Weevil. Besides, his grandma could handle it until he got back. Probably.

They didn't exactly live in a big city, so the school wasn't too far from Rex's house. Weevil lived on the other side of town, a mere bus journey away, but when he first started coming over to Rex's house all the time, he claimed it was so he wouldn't have such a trip to school.

Their high school took students from all over town and it could be argued that they weren't the weirdest kids there, for a change. It was a big building, easy to overlook someone if they weren't in your classes – or even in your year, as was the case with Rex and Weevil.

When they got there, Weevil immediately took off. Rex stood at the gates and debated whether or not to follow him. On the one hand, he wanted to tail him to try to catch whoever was hurting his friend in the act. On the other hand, if Rex started following him right away, he'd definitely notice.

So he wandered around for a little while until he ran into the guys he'd hung around with before he became friends with Weevil. They weren't popular guys but they all enjoyed history, like Rex, so they got along. Hanging out with them again reminded Rex of before he got into Duel Monsters, before he met Weevil.

He couldn't deny that things had been simpler and easier back then. It made him uncomfortable to think about. But it also reminded him of back when he was just another teenager, before his mum had three jobs, before he stopped going to school, before he stowed away to America with Weevil.

His teacher must have noticed he really wasn't listening, so she cut her lecture about how he was never in class short and sent him to his seat. It was English class, so he didn't bother paying attention, as usual. Instead, he sat and worried about Weevil - and played through their entire relationship so far in his head, too.

He didn't see Weevil again until lunch and even then it was only briefly in the cafeteria. Weevil had never eaten in there, instead choosing to go and sit at the farthest edge of school property he could (Weevil said it was so he could be with the bugs in peace, but Rex thought it was probably just to avoid everyone).

He decided it was time to start tailing the bug Duellist. Rex knew from experience that all the likely candidates for that bruise would strike at lunch, simply because it was the only time Weevil could reliably be found in the same place and most of the bullies in their school were lazy. Rex decided not to think about what it would mean if it wasn't one of the usual candidates.

It was windy and cloudy outside. Rex hunched into his jacket and wondered what it said about Weevil that he'd rather be out here than in the school cafeteria.

He was in his usual spot, sitting against a tree at the edge of the sparse forest. There was no one else in sight. Rex took a seat on one of the benches on the empty concrete surrounding the building. Lunch came and went and nobody showed up.

_That doesn't mean anything, _Rex thought, still unnoticed, as he watched Weevil go back into school. But that didn't stop the dread curling in his stomach.


End file.
